Jump to content

sweet potatoes vs "regular" potatoes and other nightshades


jenjen008

Recommended Posts

I see alot of recipies for sweet potatoes but not so much for the other "regular" potatoes (red, yukon, idaho, etc).  I beleive that regular potatoes are considered nightshades and maybe shouldn't be eaten because some people are sensitive to them, is that true?  In addition, I feel like I've been brain washed that regular potatoes are empty calories and just a vehicle for fat and salt.  Should I just be stickin to sweet potatoes? Should I be avoiding nightshades all together tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, paprika, peppers?!!!!?  Just the thought of it makes me panic.

 

Any advice or personal expereince would be great.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First off, take a deep breath and don't panic! :) 

 

You should only be avoiding nightshades if you have issues with them. Regular potatoes were "off the island" until July last year, because of the concern that people would use them as fries, chips, mash and the like and use them to prop up their junk food crutch. Yes, white potatoes are part of the nightshade family, where sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family. If you feel better sticking with sweet potatoes, by all means, stick with them, but if you want white potatoes or red skins or yukon gold as a change up, by all means feel free to enjoy them. We like them best cut into chunks and roasted with other veggies. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people still claim that white potatos are just empty carbs, but they're a nutritious whole food just like sweet potatoes. Unless you're intentionally eliminating nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc.) then there's no reason to eliminate white potatoes.

 

Here's an interesting article that compares whites and sweets from a nutritional perspective: http://primaltoad.com/potatoes/

 

Sweets have more vitamin A (although plant-based vitamin A takes more work for our bodies to assimiliate) but white potatoes have more vitamin C and slightly more potassium. Most everything else is a wash between the two. For those worried about their carbohdrate consumption, the glycemic index between these two is about the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...